Engagement of architecture - blending into the city

These two terms: Engagement and Autonomous; has been revolved in the Author’s mind about the position of architecture. Should architecture be more like a gigantic icon on an urban fabric? Or just act as the extension which blends into the fabric? Indeed there are different theory and interpretation onto the position and there is no correct and exact answer.

With his eyesight, he found that it is nonsense to stand on absoluteness of autonomous, in the goal of having simple idea and storyline. Urban condition is complicated and architecture cannot become sole and separated discourse. Self-standing architecture becomes autonomous, without relationship to the city fabrics. Story of different architecture becomes unique and without relationship.

The Author favours with engagement, but not in an absolute stance. He imagines architecture not only as an extension of the urban fabrics, but as transition, linkage, circulation among different physical existing objects in the existing fabric. Architecture could morph into the landscape by different language and yet with same syntax.

He thought about one of the examples by Cedric Price. His idea is very pioneer even in the present day’s eyesight. Pottery Thinkbelt erases architecture into system, in which it engages to the city. The core idea to use architecture to revitalize the abandoned industry zones also acts as a way to relate architecture to the urban fabrics

In this project, he proposed using the existing road and rail network as a basic infrastructure of the new educational institution to revitalize the area and replace the old manufacturing economy in the triangular area of North Staffordshire Potteries.

The master plan of the potteries thinkbelt

Three transfer areas, which are located at the corner points of the triangular site, are purposed to be places for good and equipment exchange from the national road network and international network to the potteries thinkbelt rail system and vice versa. On the other hand, there are rail-dependent educational units called “Rail-bus” which could be mobilized on the existing rail network.

The axonometric perspective and diagrammatic section of Madeley transfer area

Another pioneering and anticipated design idea is the concept of using cybernetics, which supports the idea of new knowledge mode and impermanency to the whole project. There is an interactive network of static and mobile structures where the information data were sent through computer/electronic circuit from a static building to those mobile learning units.

He challenged the idea of symbolizing the "image of the city". He attempted at devaluating the monumental value of a building, and created an educational industry which encompasses the whole North Staffordshire with more than 100 sq km. With such tactic the individual blocks and structures, rail and crates are blended into the whole pottery thinkbelt. Because of flexibility and mobility, the insignificance of the individual components shifted his focus rather on the design of the whole system of the educational industry, e.g. the infrastructure network, system of the mobile units, as well as the configuration of housing units. Also, the idea of using cybernetics also images the future world which impermanency has become more dominant where architecture should accommodate with it.

Collage showing the perspective view of Madeley transfer area and battery housing block

So, with these tactics Price has successfully designed an architecture that blended totally within the system, in which he became revolutionist at his time. Yet, it could not be realized.

The author thinks that with the present technology, architecture could act like this way – engage more with the territory and the urban fabrics with the use of advanced technology.

西九文化區的爭論Controversies over West Kowloon Cultural district (WKCD)

(English version please scroll down)

西九文化區設計競賽結果已經塵埃落定，輿論也漸漸淡忘。但此時此筆者仍想發表他的一些意見。

三個方案中，似乎是兩間外國建築師樓之爭，而本土建築師樓卻明顯地陪跑。後來勝出的卻給建築師業界批評。在競賽結果公佈當天，筆者從身邊的朋友略有則聞另外一間建築師樓很不滿意競賽結果，他們覺得那一間建築師樓設計出來的方案很保守，而且缺乏新意。

然而，城中公園這個概念不失為一個出眾的亮點，皆因香港市區隨了維多利亞公園外沒有一整大片的綠色區域，而其他國際級大都會如倫敦及紐約她們亦有區域廣闊的公園。可能政府覺得照辦煮碗可以藉以提高國際地位。

但筆者愈想便愈不對勁，個人認為香港比較缺乏的是整體文化內涵及培養文化的空間，難道創造一大片綠地就能提高文化素質？另外，文化區的總體規劃也過於簡潔及空泛，只強調規劃的彈性，缺乏主題。對比另外一間的建築師樓，深入了解香港本土文化後而定立設計，倒有心思。兩者比較之下，相形見拙。

顯然地，就競賽結果反應了香港政府似乎不想藉著利用西九文化區這幅地去發展本土文化及提高香港的文化素質，只是引進M+博物館等迪士尼式的發展策略，放棄讓真正的本土文化帶進正式場合。既然如些，那就讓它變成自由行的景點，讓他們在門前拍照吧!

討論了十多年，推倒重來，結果卻還是一樣。


Although the result of WKCD design competition has been announced for a long period of time already, the author still wants to express some opinions on this topic.

2 out of 3 entries are from 2 foreign architect firms, while the local one is trivially futile. The author heard about some criticism about the winning entry from some friends who worked in the losing architect firm. They commented that the entry design is too conservative and lack of creativity.

Nevertheless, the "city park" design can be a sparkling idea because other than Victoria park, Hong Kong lacks of mega-scaled green park. With reference to the number of green zone in London and New York, having one along the new reclaimed district in Hong Kong could potentially enhance the international image.

But the author is suspicious about the move in planning a mega-scaled green park along the shoreline of the new reclaimed land, which cannot motivate the local cultural development and educations. Furthermore, the emphasis of flexibility of the master plan design is in the way too simple, boring and lack of central idea. Comparing with the other firm which design had profound research of local culture, the current winning one is a kind of an unfinished work.

Apparently, the decision of the selection reflects how many ambitions and motivations the government have in order to give chances for the development of local culture, which is none. M+ museum is only a way of Disneyland mode development, which is a spot for taking photos by some mainlander tourists.

After 10 years of discussions, and turned the engine again, the result is still the same.